Reconstructionist Judaism

Reconstructionist Judaism

We are a Reconstructionist Congregation and belong to the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation. Reconstructionists believe that Judaism is not only a religion in the western sense of the world, but also a continuously evolving civilization. As such, we respect and retain traditional Jewish rituals and practices, but also include progressive values and ideas. At HCS, the past has a vote but not a veto. Our community is participatory, egalitarian, and inclusive, committed to exploring Jewish life with dedication, warmth, and enthusiasm.

Other Jewish movements have adapted many practices from Reconstructionism. The daughter of the Reconstructionist movement's founder, Mordechai Kaplan, celebrated the world’s first Bat Mitzvah in 1922. The Conservative and Reform movements have modeled their newest prayer books on the format of the new Reconstructionist prayer book.

Children of interfaith couples are considered Jews by Reconstructionists if they have either a Jewish mother or father, as long as they are being raised as Jews. This is similar to the Reform position. Conservative and Orthodox Jews require one’s mother to be Jewish.